Scallop, Sea (Hotate) – U.S. and Canadian Atlantic

Sea Scallops are typically found on sand and gravel bottoms. They grow quickly and mature at a young age, traits that make them resilient to fishing pressure

In the U.S. Sea Scallops were once overfished but have since recovered, thanks to effective management. In Canada, Sea Scallops are also at a healthy abundance.

Fishers use bottom dredges to catch Sea Scallops. This fishing method has moderate to high impacts on seafloor habitats and results in some bycatch. There is some unintended catch of loggerhead sea turtles in the U.S. fishery, but regulations mandate “turtle deflector dredges” to help avoid killing or injuring sea turtles.

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Fish Key:

Species has a combination of problems such as overfishing, high bycatch, and poor management.

Some problems exist with this species' status or catch methods, or information is insufficient for evaluating.

Species is relatively abundant, and fishing methods cause little damage to habitat and other wildlife.

A fishery targeting this species has been certified as sustainable and well managed to the Marine Stewardship Council's environmental standard. Learn more at http://www.msc.org.

These fish contain levels of mercury or PCBs that may pose a health risk to adults and children. Our source of information is http://seafood.edf.org/. We also recommend that you check local advisories.